


What if We Stayed?

by themarginalartist



Series: Xenian AU [4]
Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, Half-Live VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: Alternate Universe of an Alternate Universe, Gordon and Benrey are aliens, I thought it might be interesting lol, Not A Game AU, Xen uses Xe/Xem pronouns!, Xenian AU, basically a retelling of the ask blog with some major changes, tagging as we go, this is based on my ask blog, which is based on Xenian
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:00:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29144841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themarginalartist/pseuds/themarginalartist
Summary: Gordon and Benrey have been captured by Black Mesa, a research facility that has taken the two alien children from their home on Xen to study them. Gordon and Benrey have a choice to make... Do they try to escape?Or...What if they stayed?----------------------This is an AU of my ask blog blackmesaerd over on tumblr which is actually an AU on my fic Xenian lol no need to have read either of those through since this is very much an alternate take on the events of the ask blog.
Series: Xenian AU [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1994701
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22
Collections: Xenian AU





	What if We Stayed?

**Author's Note:**

> Quick warning on mentions of starvation and rough treatment of Gordon throughout this first chapter, things will get better for poor Gordie after this I promise!

Gordon panted hard as he ran through the dense forest the portal had led him out to Benrey ahead of him glancing back with an eye he’d formed on his shoulder to make sure that Gordon was right behind him. They could hear the heavy footsteps of the creatures behind them giving chase. Xen had told them to stay in the cave when the invaders had first shown up, saying that xe’d take care of them. But when the strange beings with reflective faces had come in Benrey had dragged Gordon out running, Benrey spitting the occasional orb of white sweet voice while Gordon’s freckles showed the same white on his face and arms. 

They could hear the beings shouting, calling back and forth to each other in a strange form of communication. Not that either wanted to stay and listen long given that they had no idea why the beings were after them. Or why Xen hadn’t stopped them…

Hearts and legs and arms pounding, they kept up a brutal pace but they couldn’t seem to get the reflective faced beings off their tails. A whistling noise pierced the air making Gordon turn his head back for merely a moment, ending up tripping on a root from one of the towering trees above him. Benrey desperately tugged on Gordon’s upper right arm to pull him up before another whistle followed by a second one entering the air making both of them pull their ears back before gasping at the same time as something pierced their skin. 

Two little darts, one on Benrey’s shoulder thankfully below his eye, and the other on Gordon’s lower left arm. They get up and move trying to keep running, but their movements become sluggish, eyes eventually slamming shut as they both fall unconscious. 

* * *

Gordon woke up alone in a strange cave, darkness all around him, something bad smelling in the air that he hadn’t smelled before. The cave floor was cold, making him shiver even though the light fur on his body normally kept him warm. Freckles turning a green tea color as his anxiety over being alone in the dark grows he doesn’t hear the footsteps of something approaching. There’s a hiss and then a buzz as blinding lights turn on making him back up into the cave’s wall and rub at his eyes. 

There’s some chattering in the background that his ears twitch at until he finally opens his eyes, able to handle the bright lights finally. A small group of strange looking creatures that are white on top with tan or black legs is gathered receiving orders from another one that is almost completely navy blue besides a stripe of bright red on their chest and piercing blue eyes. They chatter for a while before the navy blue one leaves, glancing at Gordon before they go. Then another one comes in, this time green on the bottom and navy blue on top, red decorating their head.

The first thing the strange group attempts is spraying Gordon down with water, ice cold and hard enough to sting making him whimper. Then one of them moves forward with something in their hand. Gordon hisses and backs up against the cave wall, swiping with his upper and middle right hands to make them stay back, even if he’s trembling from how cold he now is from the water soaking his fur. Unfortunately it doesn’t work for him, getting roughly grabbed and assaulted by something that smells similar to the nasty smell he sniffed out earlier scrubbed against his body. He hisses and struggles to get away but the being keeps him pinned down. 

Just as they pull away Gordon reaches out and slashes with his claws with a hiss, the being narrowly dodging with a yelp before Gordon is sprayed down with more ice cold water making him yelp and press himself against the cave wall again. When the water is finally shut off two beings come with some large object that they forcibly wrap around him, rubbing it against him making him hiss and try to bite at them to no avail. 

The creatures push him into a smaller cave and move him to a new area of the cave, ignoring his whines and chattering teeth from the strange tiny cave. When they finally stop and let him out of the small cave it's into a strange cave that has stalactites and stalagmites that can move and let the creatures out but leave him in. They shove some water into the cave in a little dish and something grey and green in another that smells acrid, like rotting fruit. He refused to eat it, focusing only on the water. Xen had always told him and Benrey that food they could do without for a while but water was a must.

Day becomes whenever the bright light turns on with an electric buzz and night when they get shut off. Gordon lost track after a while of how long he’d been there, the only consistency was the one scientist that tried to feed him, he learned that was what they called themselves after one of them shouted at the other over something, but the scientist that tried to feed him was at least gentle,they looked tired, glasses sitting low on their face, and a purple shirt (another word he learned during a different shouting fit). The rest were much meaner in his opinion, constantly poking and prodding him with various tools, always cold when they touch him. He managed to scratch and bite most of the scientists, an ever new stream of faces entering the lab. 

On one particularly bad day, tired, hungry and sick of being prodded, Gordon had bit down hard on the scientists and caught a finger in his mouth, he originally was going to let it go but the scientist had started shouting and hurting his arm so to get them to let go he snapped his jaw shut. Gordon immediately spat it out, regretting the action as the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. The not-scientist with the red crest on its head tried to grab him, but Gordon tried to escape their grasp, scratching and clawing before getting tossed back into the cage. 

It was a while before the purple shirted scientist had other scientists join them again. They kept trying to make Gordon eat the horrible gray paste that seemed to only smell worse and worse each time it was put in, but Gordon refused. Cold, lonely and hungry seemed to be the only thing Gordon could feel anymore. 

Then the new scientist came.

* * *

Gordon had curled up in the back corner of the cage, his stomach starting to really hurt now because of how hungry he was, his joints ached because of how cold the cage floor was, and he was exhausted because of the difference in the way time worked here than on Xen. It was miserable and Gordon honestly didn’t know how much longer he’d last with how exhausted he was.

His ears twitch at the hiss of the door opening up, letting Dr. Rowan X. Corrison into the lab. Gordon huffed out a breath, curling up with his tail over his eyes to try and get a few more minutes of peace to himself. It didn’t last long of course as the buzzing drone of the overhead lights and machinery whirring in the background grated on his nerves. Dr. Rowan was quietly tending to the cacti on his desk before getting the water dish and food dish out of Gordon’s cage from their place by the slot. Gordon barely lifts his head to watch, eyes not glowing as vibrant as they once had. 

Rowan was muttering to himself as he dropped another pile of the mush into the food bowl. Gordon caught a few words from the muttering, ‘new lead’, ‘another one’, ‘won’t last long’, gaining insight that a new scientist was coming. Rowan wasn’t the lead scientist but he did have seniority and for whatever reason was never removed even if the entire rest of the team had changed out and eventually left. Gordon was at least glad for one consistency in this horrible place. 

About an hour later, food dish untouched and shoved as close to the slot as possible and water dish completely dry, the lab doors hiss open again, letting a shorter scientist into the space, their gray striped hair pulled back into a neat little ponytail behind them and their smile wide and bright. 

“Hello! I am Dr. Harold P. Coomer, though you are welcome to call me Dr. Coomer or just Coomer! I was assigned to be the new Lead Researcher here! As well as there are a few- Ah there they are! -a few Research Associates joining me to help with the study!” He grins as the doors once again hiss open during his introduction letting a surprising number of people of various shapes and sizes into the lab space. There’s a small amount of chatter amongst them as they settle in around Dr. Coomer. Gordon already felt on edge with how many people had come in, a far greater number than any of the previous groups that had come through the lab.

“Dr. Rowan X. Corrison, Dr. Rowan is fine, we’ll see how long you all end up staying.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” One of the RAs in the back pipes up.” 

“It means we’ve already gone through seven different leads and at least fifty other scientists, I don’t expect you all to last more than three days.” Rowan says dryly. 

“And I say that you’re being quite pessimistic my friend!” Coomer chuckles but his laugh isn’t one from any kind of joy. “Now, let’s see this Subject XG1! I’ve been rather excited to meet them. You RAs should make sure equipment is all squared away and one of you with me to take notes please!” Coomer directs the RAs who meander in the correct directions, three of the RAs end up stepping forward to take notes for Dr. Coomer who simply lets them anyway. 

Gordon curls up as tight as he can into the corner. Not excited for another round of poking and prodding. There’s too many eyes on him, the RAs who weren’t up close with Dr. Coomer looked over the others shoulders but even if they weren’t looking it felt like their eyes were on him somehow. His freckles change to a dull green tea color as his anxiety swells up, making his breathing a bit more rapid and his heart beat grow louder in his ears. 

“I see they are a bit shy.” Coomer remarks as he makes it up to the cage bars. “And… Hmm…” He looks over a clipboard with some papers attached. “It says here that Subject XG1 hasn’t eaten anything in the… Month?!” Coomer frowns heavily as the three RAs near him write down some notes. 

“The only thing that constitutes as food, and barely at that, which I’ve been able to give them is the food paste. I’ve made requests a few times to get some real food down here, but no one in admin is listening to me apparently. You can see if you get better luck.” Rowan huffs. 

Coomer comes a bit closer to the cage causing Gordon to press into his corner further, he really doesn’t enjoy the scrutiny that the scientist is giving him. He gives a weak hiss to try and get him to back up, head tilting to the side in surprise as Dr. Coomer indeed gives him space. Gordon tries to stamp down the hope in his chest that maybe Dr. Coomer won’t be so bad. 

There’s another hiss of the lab doors and another scientist that Gordon’s never seen before enters the lab, their hair shaved on one side with dark red locks that drape over to the other, piercingly blue eyes trained immediately on Dr. Coomer’s back. “Harold! Where the hell were you! I waited in the break room for 5 minutes and you failed to show up!” They stomp up to Dr. Coomer and turn him around.

Coomer gives them an apologetic look, “I’m sorry Bubby! I would have met you but because I also had the RAs joining me for our first day in the lab I figured it best to get in early! I meant to send you a message.” 

“Ugh whatever, next time send it instead of forgetting about it.” Bubby grouses at him before taking a look into the cage, making Gordon’s anxiety spike up again. “That’s the subject? Scrawny little thing isn’t it. Looks like it hasn’t eaten in a while…” 

“Yes. Because it hates the food paste with a passion. So it won’t eat the paste. If you have an issue with it take it up with the administration, not me.” Rowan groans. 

“We could just get food from the cafeteria.” Bubby raises an eyebrow. 

“What a wonderful idea Bubby! I think an early lunch so we can grab plenty of food for XG1 here is a great idea!” 

“Wait what!? That’s against policy, no food that is not designated for feeding creatures in the lab, especially not with live subjects.” Rowan frowns heavily 

“That’s a load of bullshit. Let’s get this thing something actually edible.” Bubby grumbles before turning and dragging Coomer and Rowan out of the lab. A few of the RAs trailing behind them. Gordon’s stomach growls at the thought of something actually palatable to eat for once. It’s about thirty minutes later that they scientists and research associates return, all carrying food which makes his stomach rumble loudly when he sniffs the air. 

“Let’s start with fruits and vegetables, see what they like and don’t like with small samples.” Dr. Coomer says as he starts cutting up the food into small bites. Gordon almost didn’t care what it tasted like as long as it didn’t smell as revolting as the food paste did. 

When the first couple of samplings of food start to get pushed through Gordon nearly stumbles to get to the bowl, showing the members of the lab just how thin he was now, ribs clearly visible as he crawled over to the small plate of food. There was mostly vegetables on the plate for the first sampling, something orange and crunchy, a couple leaves of various kinds (one which was extremely bitter and the other that made his teeth feel weird were both spat out, someone saying something about hating kale and spinach as well), and things that looked like mini trees one green and one white that were just alright. Gordon’s stomach growls loudly at having just the few bites of food in him making him whine slightly. The same goes for the fruits they give him, he likes far more of them than the vegetables, except for a sour yellow one, he doesn’t even bother trying to stick it in his mouth (once again someone saying that they don’t like pineapple either), but the slice of small green fruit that they had put on the plate was his favorite, making his tail thump, it had tasted exactly like bilaboango fruit which was his favorite on Xen. The meat was a bit interesting, Gordon normally didn’t care for meat all that much, it wasn’t that he couldn’t digest it, Xen had said they were both omnivores, but Benrey liked meat more than he did, still though, when the plate was slid into the cage from the food slot Gordon was quick to sniff at each of the samples finding no difficulty with any of the offerings. 

Once again his stomach made itself known, Gordon wincing in pain hoping that they’d give more than just the barest of morsels to try. When the large plate finally got slid through filled with everything that he’d like from trying the smaller samples, he almost wanted to cry if his stomach didn’t growl again making his obvious next move to snap up and eat everything from the plate, he tried not to eat too quickly, not wanting to choke but it was hard to slow down when he’d not had anything to eat the entire time he’d been trapped here. 

Belly finally full, Gordon slowly pulled himself back to the corner he’d taken residence in and curled up, tail draped around him so he could block out the light. With a small shiver he curled up tighter, eyes drooping shut as sleep overtook him after the large meal. He was vaguely aware of some conversation going on, but his exhaustion quickly plunged him into unconsciousness. 

The last thought through his mind: Maybe it won’t be so bad here now...


End file.
